Strathclyde Inspire Supporter Rhona Bree recaps her experience as a judge at last years' Inspire100 event.
Arrival
It’s a crisp autumn evening and I’m on the train to Glasgow Queen Street finishing emails, leaving messages with dinner instructions, and communicating on various WhatsApp groups to put plans in motion for friends to collect my kids from various activities. As a mum and an Investment Manager for Equity Gap, an Edinburgh-based EIS syndicate, I know the importance of community both at work and home. Tonight, I’m heading to a pitching event run by Strathclyde Inspire, supporting entrepreneurs amongst its staff, students, and alumni community. Equity Gap is invested in several early-stage companies alongside University of Strathclyde, and I feel privileged to be on the judging panel, helping to select winners from the current group of Inspire100 entrepreneurs pitching for a share of a £17,500 prize pot.
Hurrying along George St, I look up from my map to see the Technology & Innovation Centre - or the TIC as it is affectionately known by those in the know, although I had to google it! - an impressive building lighting up the far end of the city’s grid and welcoming guests out of the city chill. The lifts opened on the 9th floor to a pool of excited chatter, and the offer to join in with a comforting welcome tea and a caramel wafer. I chat to an alumnus who has travelled up from London, where he has built various businesses, to provide mentoring for the entrepreneurs and give back to his University. The generosity of this Inspire community is humbling.
I’m taken through to a room containing what seems like far too many seats and cameras! My fellow judges, Rob Halliday from EoS and Sarah Hume from Scottish Enterprise, are sitting in the front row. I’m pleased to see some friendly faces, and I note they both look slightly nervous too. We all agree this is not going to be easy. We have reviewed, discussed, and debated the business plans already, but some important decisions need to be made tonight.
First, an introduction from Sir Jim Macdonald, the Principal and Vice Chancellor, reminds us of the spirit of the evening - promoting innovation and entrepreneurship. He announces with obvious delight that University of Strathclyde has just won the European Entrepreneurial University of the Year (in addition to recently achieving Scottish University of the Year and being recipient of the Queen's Prize). ‘Be bold’, he encourages everyone. Staff, students, and alumni in the audience all sit a little straighter and a little prouder.
Let the pitching begin...
Salisu Uba from Natquest is an experienced supply chain professional looking to provide a supply chain technology service.
Joanna Butler is Strathclyde Business School’s first spinout, and her company MyEmploy is developing an online employability tool
Iain Bomphray, Light as a Feather, makes a great case for designing hydrogen storage tanks optimised for volumetric efficiency in vehicles.
Rory Bone pitches 4SB Mobility’s ambitious plan to develop a swappable electric vehicle battery in conjunction.
Genna Masterton from Gifted Kind, gives an emotive pitch for the need to develop a digital learning platform for the early years market.
Kieren Egan from Carestax delivers a clear vision and need for his digital platform for carer health and wellbeing.
Feeling inspired
After bold, brave, and passionate presentations by all the entrepreneurs, it was over to us, the judges. The three of us exchange nervous glances as we head into the lift, but someone holds the door – Sir Tom Hunter – he’s putting another £10k into the pot! The lift doors close and we barely have a chance to thank him. In a small room downstairs, the merits of each business are debated all over again with the added benefit of the pitches to bring the story of each business to life. As we receive a reminder that we are running out of time, we request some reassuring guidance from Catherine Breslin and Alan Feighery from Strathclyde Inspire on the rules of each of the prizes and put our heads together one last time to reach a unanimous agreement. With smiles all round, Catherine makes a phone call to confirm the results and we head back upstairs to deliver the results.
A culmination of so much hard work and preparation, the awards were over in the blink of an eye. MyEmploy was awarded £10,000 from the Stephen Young Entrepreneurship Awards, and 4SB Mobility was awarded £7,500 from Santander. The generous extra £10k from Tom Hunter allowed two additional awards of £5k to each to two of the pitchers with clear social impacts - Gifted Kind and Carestax. All are well-deserved winners, and the entrepreneurs were genuinely thrilled for each other – a true community. Chatting afterwards, many of the pitchers mentioned their nerves but emphasised how much they enjoyed the evening. Perhaps that’s what made this event so special – despite the nerves of presenting to a prestigious audience, the pitchers stand up and do it anyway, encouraged by the support from the Inspire community. I hope budding entrepreneurs will see what has been achieved tonight and be bold enough to stand up too.
As I step out onto George Street, I reflect on a successful night from an institution to be proud of, in a city I love. I look back at the TIC – a beacon of hope and possibility. Inspired? The pitchers and guests were, I am, and I hope others will be too.
